Overview

Some of the most prolific oil fields in the world are waterdrive reservoirs. Perhaps the most celebrated
example is the East Texas field. The final oil recovery in the East Texas field is projected to be
approximately 79%.[1] As this example shows, water influx has the potential to improve oil recovery
considerably.
Once a water influx mechanism has been identified, it is important to monitor the producing wells closely
and to minimize water production. Minimizing water production in edgewater drives may require
systematically shutting in flank wells once the advancing water reaches them. Minimizing water production
in bottomwater drives may require systematically cementing in lower perforations as the bottom water
slowly rises.
An integral part of reservoir surveillance for waterdrives is an active assessment program. The first phase
of assessment includes diagnosis, classification, and characterization. The second phase identifies
mathematical models that effectively simulate the aquifer, especially its deliverability. This phase includes
reliably estimating aquifer model parameters. The third and final phase includes combining aquifer and
reservoir models into a common model that can be used to forecast future recovery effectively and to
identify optimal depletion strategies. The success of the third phase depends heavily on the success of the
preceding two phases.